Word Origin & History

bob "short, jerking motion," late 14c., probably connected to M.E. bobben "to strike, beat" (late 13c.), perhaps of echoic origin. Another early sense was "to make a fool of, cheat" (early 14c.). As a slang word for "shilling" it is attested from 1789, but the signification is unknown.

Example Sentences for bobbed up

The boards were loose and as each took his place they bobbed up and down.

Judy bobbed up on the stage as his father beamed down at him.

The poison-pen puzzle, as it came to be known in the department, first bobbed up some six months before Allison tackled it.

It bobbed up and down slightly and swung with the current of the river.

I love it, and I think it's almost sinful on your part to have bobbed up so unexpectedly.

Gerdy bobbed up from among her skirts and began clattering with her tea-tray.

The admiral's roomy boat, with its mast stepped and sail ready for hoisting, bobbed up and down on the water.

Then they rolled over and disappeared with a splash, then bobbed up again.

Suddenly, at about ten o'clock in the morning, there bobbed up in the north two riders on camels, waving white cloths.